Wanderer and Dog
by Kamichama Kaori
Summary: A huge secret about Sirius is revealed only after his death...I'm not saying anything else! Please r&r...
1. News

**News**

_Sirius Black is dead._ The news reached Talia long after it had actually happened. She never saw it coming.

It was an average day for Talia, taking care of her little one-year-old girl and trying to keep the house somewhat tidy. While she was dusting the mantle over the fireplace, the little girl, Guendolen, looked up at her mother through blueish green eyes, a combination of her mom's and dad's.

"Da-da?" she asked. Talia smiled down at the little blonde.

"He'll be home soon, sweetums," she cooed. Guendolen smiled, almost in a pleased way, and continued hitting the carpet with a toy hammer. Talia resumed dusting, still smiling, but only on the outside. _Where is my husband? _she thought. _He has been gone for a long time..._ Worry-filled thoughts continued to scurry across her mind. Suddenly the doorbell rang, snapping her out of her dark pit.

"Coming!" Talia called, setting down the featherduster and scooping Guendolen into her arms. She went into the hallway and opened the front door. There stood Albus Dumbledore, his silver hair and beard swaying in the gentle breeze. A genuine smile spread across Talia's face.

"Hello, sir," she said cheerfully. "Won't you come in?" Dumbledore stepped inside, following Talia into her spacious living room. She gestured towards the couch, and he sat down.

"My, little Guendolen is growing quickly," he said, smiling. Talia noticed that the smile didn't quite reach his sparkling eyes.

"Yeah, she's into everything," Talia said, bouncing the infant up and down. Guendolen giggled. Dumbledore chuckled, but then stopped and pulled something out of his pocket. "You need to read this," he said, handing a slip of paper to the young woman.

"Oh," Talia said, taking the paper and handing Guendolen to the headmaster of Hogwarts. He tickled her under the chin, and she laughed. Talia smiled at the two, then read through the paper. Her smile quickly faded. Everything disappeared except the letter. When she finished, her hands were shaking so bad the paper looked as if it were caught in horrible wind.

"No," she whispered. The living room faded away in a pool of tears.


	2. Everything

**Everything**

Talia sat in the bay window in the living room, staring at the blue sky. Tears still ran down her cheeks, and she gave up wiping them away. Her house was empty now; Dumbledore left two hours ago, taking baby Guen with him to see the zoo, then to spend the night at her aunt's house. Talia was glad for the silence. She pulled the fateful letter out of her pocket, to look over it again.

_To whom it may concern,_

_If you are reading this, I am dead. Actually, I'm laughing as I'm writing this...I don't see why I need to, but my dear friend Remus has forced me to. Writing this letter certainly sounds safer than the life in a dark closet, which was my alternative..._

_Anyways, what few possesions I have, I would like to go to Harry Potter. If I die before it happens, then I'm sorry you never got to live with me. Don't forget about me!_

_If need be, this letter needs to be given to Harry and a woman named Talia Brubanks as soon as possible. Talia, I'm sorry I never told anyone. If you're reading this now, tell everyone. I always wanted the world to know...tell Harry first, if you will._

_Since I have nothing to say, being so young and doubtful of a death so soon, farewell, good friends and family!_

_Love,_

_Sirius Black_

_"Padfoot"_

An inky pawprint was stamped beside the last word. Talia smiled sadly, remembering Sirius. He was always so funny...she would've never guessed he would die such and early. He had only been 32; only a year older than her.

Talia also remembered when Dumbledore started to walk out the door, her daughter in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Talia," he had said. She nodded. "I was just wondering...how did you know Sirius?"

"Sir, I'm really sorry, but I'll tell you some other time," She had replied, her voice cracking. Dumbledore nodded.

"I understand. Good night, Talia."

"Bye-bye, Mommy!" Guendolen waved happily just as Dumbledore closed the door. Thinking about it now, Talia almost envied her daughter; she had no idea what was going on, and she would never be sad at the loss of Sirius; she probably wouldn't even remember him.

Talia also felt bad for Harry Potter. He had been there; seen Sirius disappear behind the Veil. That's what Dumbledore had told her. She stood up and walked over to her writing desk, intending to write a sympathy letter to Harry. She picked up a quill and began.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm sorry this letter is so late, but I just recently found out about the death of Sirius Black. We are both suffering a great loss; Sirius was a wonderful man. I-_

Talia stopped writing and threw the unfinished letter in the fire. It was too formal; too cold to express enough sympathy. Of course, it was impossible to express enough sympathy. Talia pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and began again.

_Harry,_

_You don't know me, but hopefully you will soon. I knew Sirius, too. He is the greatest man I have ever known. I'm sure it's the same in your case. I want to meet you soon, so we can talk, get to know each other, remember all the good times with Sirius. We have both lost someone very close to our hearts. In you case, a godfather you hardly knew. In my case, though no one knows it except him and I, a husband. We have both lost our everything._


	3. Guendolen

**Guendolen**

"Guen, we need to go to Diagon Alley!" Talia called up the stairs.

"Coming, Mom!" Guendolen, now 13 years old, put away the book she was reading, grabbed her purse, and ran down the stairs. Her mom smiled at her.

"I can't believe you're already going into your third year," she said. "You're getting so big!"

"Mooom..." Guendolen moaned, walking out the front door. Now that she was 13 and in her third year at Hogwarts, she didn't want Talia treating her like a kid. She climbed into the little blue VW Bug, her mom getting in on the driver's side. They were soon in Diagon Alley.

"We need to stop by Gringotts," Talia said to Guendolen. Guendolen wasn't listening, though; she had spotted one of her friends.

"Aileen!" she yelled, waving at the red-haired girl. Guendolen's own hair had darkened over the years from her mother's blonde to her father's black. Aileen ran over, a bag of school supplies already slung over her shoulder.

"Hi!" Aileen said once she was in front of her best friend. "Have you got any shopping done yet?" Guendolen shook her head. "We just got here."

"Then we can shop together! I've only been to the apothecary." Aileen nodded towards the shopping bag in her hand.

"Awesome!" The girls began walking towards the book store, chatting about everything they could think of and leaving Talia behind.

"I'm going to Gringotts!" she yelled after her daughter.

"Ok, Mom!" Talia smiled and turned around, running right into someone. The black haired man looked shocked, but then smiled.

"Hi, Talia!" he said cheerfully.

"Harry!" Talia threw her arms around the young man. "It's been so long since I've seen you!" She stepped back.

"Well, I've been very busy, being an Auror and all," he said.

"Mom!" Guendolen yelled, running towards her. "Mom, I need some money..." Her words trailed off when she saw Harry.

"Uncle Harry!" she squealed, grabbing him in a huge bear hug. "I haven't seen you since I was, like, nine!" Harry laughed.

"Like I was telling your mom, I've been very busy," he said. Aileen walked up, looking very confused. Guendolen walked back a few steps to stand beside her.

"Harry, this is my best friend Aileen. Eileen, this is my uncle Harry. Well, he's not really my uncle, but he's just always been around." Aileen smiled dreamily.

"Hi," she said shyly. Guendolen gave her a strange look; she was never shy. Aileen leaned towards her.

"He's cute," she whispered. "How old is he?" Guendolen kept herself from laughing.

"27, I think," she replied. Aileen thought about this for a second.

"Too old for me?" she asked.

"Definitely."

The majority of the afternoon was spent shopping, with Harry and Aileen tagging along. Harry and Talia were talking non-stop, as were Guendolen and Aileen were. When all the shopping was finally done, Harry gave Talia a big hug.

"Send me an owl sometime," he told her.

"Don't worry, I will," she replied. Harry reached up and ruffled Guendolen's hair, which she smoothed back down with fake annoyance.

"See ya later, kid," he said.

"Bye Harry!" she said, giving him a hug too. When she was done, Harry nodded towards Aileen.

"Nice to meet you," he said kindly.

"Yeah, bye," Aileen said quietly. Harry started to leave, but stopped.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" he pulled a ratty bit of parchment out of his cloak pocket and handed it to Guendolen. She gave him a questioning look.

"It's the Marauder's Map," he explained. "Your mother knows how to use it." He winked in Talia's direction, then Disapparated.

That night, Talia climbed the stairs, exhausted. She paused by Guendolen's bedroom door, listening to see if she was asleep yet. She heard her talking to someone.

"Yeah, I just went to Diagon Alley and got all my supplies. We saw Harry there. Look what he gave me!" There was silence.

"Really? You did? That's so cool!" Talia's face scrunched up in confusion. The phone was downstairs on its cradle; she had seen it right before she walked up the stairs. No one was in her room; Talia would've heard their reply. Talia took a step back and shook her head. She was tired; she could deal with it in the morning. She walked down the hall to her bedroom and shut the door.


	4. New Term

**New Term**

Guendolen smiled as she ran through the wall to Platform 9 3/4. _Back to Hogwarts, _she thought cheerfully. She couldn't wait to see all her friends and use magic again. As the train barreled into the platform, Talia gave Guendolen a big hug.

"See you at Christmas," she said into her hair.

"Bye Mom," Guendolen replied. Talia kissed Guendolen's forehead, then she jumped on the train. She walked through the different cars, finally finding a seat next to Aileen. Guendolen waved to her mom through the window. The train blew its shrill whistle, and they were off.

"Hello, friend," Aileen said, grinning. Guendolen smiled and returned the greeting. Suddenly the door slid open. A brown haired, brown eyed girl stuck her head in.

"There you are!" she said, coming in all the way and sitting down. "I've searched the whole train for you!"

"Hi, Kimberly," Guendolen and Aileen said in unison to the third member of their trio.

"How's your sister?" Guendolen asked. She was referring to the owl Kimberly had recently sent her, saying her younger sister had a strange disease. Kimberly rolled her eyes.

"You won't believe it; she was faking it! She ordered a potion out of some prankmaster catalog or something to get out of the family reunion!" Kimberly smiled wickedly. "Of course, the potion lasted a little longer and was a little more intense than inteded." Guendolen and Aileen laughed at their friend's 'evil' side. She thought her younger sister (who's a First Year) was a huge pain, but Guen and Aileen thought she was adorable. The door slid open again with a slight creak. A boy stepped in.

"Do you mind if I sit in here? All the other seats are taken," he said.

"Sure!" Aileen said cheerfully.

"We don't mind," Kimberly said, gesturing towards one of the empty seats. The boy smiled.

"Thanks." Guendolen didn't say anything as he chose the seat across from her, but she stared at him the whole time.

"My name's Avery, by the way," he said as he sat down. He brushed his shaggy sand-colored hair out of his face, revealing emerald green eyes. Guendolen felt a dreamy smile creep across her face.

"Hey, I know you!" Kimberly said suddenly. "You're in my house!"

"You're a Gryffindor, too?" Avery grinned.

"Yup! We all are. Isn't that right, Guen?" Guendolen didn't reply.

"Gueeeen? Guendolen!" Kimberly snapped her fingers in front of Guendolen's face. She snapped out of her dream world.

"Uh, yeah, sure," she said, having no idea what she was talking about. She quickly returned to her daydreams, and got a weird expression on her face again. Aileen giggle and Kimberly rolled her eyes. Avery leaned over towards Aileen (who he was sitting next to).

"Is your friend all right?" he asked, shooting Guendolen a strange look. Aileen giggled again.

"Yeah," she whispered back. "Guendolen always daydreams like that." Avery shrugged and turned towards the window.

A few hours later, the Hogwarts Express pulled into its station. The students piled out, and soon everyone was sitting at their tables in the Great Hall. The little First Years were lined up at the front of the huge room. A lot of them looked terrified, and it reminded Guendolen of when she had been Sorted. She had heard many rumors about Slytherin, so she wished with all her might that she wouldn't be placed there. Thankfully it put her in Gryffindor.

Professor McGonagall, now slightly silver-haired, carried out the stool as usual. She set the Sorting Hat down on it, and it began to sing its yearly song.

Usually Guendolen was fascinated by the ever-changin song, paying close attention, but this year she had other things on her mind. She glanced down the table in Avery's direction. How had she never noticed his handsomeness? It didn't seem possible. The dreamy smile appeared on her face again.

"He's not good enough for you," a man's voice whispered in her ear. She jumped about a foot in the air, disturbing the surrounding people.

"Sorry," she whispered to them. She bowed her head, pretending to be fascinated with her shoes.

"Dog, what are you doing here?" she said as quietly as she could.

"Talking to you, of course," the invisible man replied.

"But you're only there at night!"

"No, I only talk to you at night. I'm always with you, though," Dog replied.

"That's just creepy." Dog chuckled.

"Well, I guess that's a good thing, since that's my job." Guendolen smiled at the quirky ghost. "Now, back to that boy..."

"What about him?" Guendolen asked, looking in Avery's direction again.

"Like I said, he's not good enough for you. No boy's good enough for Wanderer." Guendolen rolled her eyes. She tuned Dog out as the song ended and the Sorting began.

It wasn't long before Professor McGonagall reached Kimberly's sister. The nervous miniature image of Kimberly climbed up on the stool and sat down.

"She'll be in Gryffindor, of course," Kimberly whispered to Guendolen and Aileen. "Just like the rest of the family." The other two nodded. The Hat was silent for a minute. Finally it screamed its decision.

"Hufflepuff!" Kimberly's mouth fell open.

_(Note: I think I mispelled McGonagall's name...if I did, please let me know! Thanks for all the great reviews!)_


	5. Dog

**Dog**

Dog floated in the air above Guendolen, his usual spot. From his vantage point he watched Kimberly quietly throwing a fit about her sister being place in Hufflepuff.

"My whole family's been in Gryffindor!" she cried. Aileen and Guendolen tried to comfort her. Guendolen. His little Wanderer. _Not so little anymore,_ he thought sadly. He watched Wanderer for a while.

Dog had called her Wanderer ever since he first talked to her. That was what her name meant, after all. He had first talked to Wanderer when she was seven years old. She had never been scared of him, not once. He was glad, for now they were very close. Wanderer had called him Dog immediately;she never even asked what his real name was. _An odd coincidence..._ he thought with a grin. He looked down and noticed Wanderer staring at that boy again. He scowled. _She doesn't need a boy, _he thought. _Well, I'll take care of him!_ He swept down,stopping next to the boy.

"Don't lay a hand on her," he growled, so quietly only the boy could here. The boy jumped and said, "Who said that?" His friends gave him a strange look.

"Come on, don't mess with me like that!" he said.

"No one said anything, Avery," one of the boys said. Avery's face paled. Dog chuckled in satisfaction. _That should do it!_ he thought proudly. He resumed his post above Wanderer and continued watching the Sorting.


	6. Quidditch

**Quidditch**

"I'm gonna do it, guys!" Guendolen said cheerfully. "I'm gonna try out for Seeker!" Guendolen, Kimberly, and Aileen were standing on the edge of the Quidditch field, watching the team practice. It was only the second day of term. The previous Seeker had graduated, leaving the team one short. Guendolen had been waiting for this chance since she was a First Year, even though she had been too young to play then.

"Yup, I'm gonna do it," Guendolen said again.

"Then go and do it!" Kimberly said impatiently. Aileen giggled and put an encouraging hand on Guendolen's shoulder. Guendolen took a deep breath and walked out to the center of the field. The captain noticed her immediately and landed in front of her. His name was Derek Cromwell.

"Can I help you?" he said in a heavy American accent.

"Um, I'd like to try out for Seeker," she replied nervously. Derek nodded.

"Do you have your own broom?" he asked. Guendolen nodded, then ran back to the stands and got her Firebolt 3000 from Aileen. She ran back over to Derek and showed it to him.

"That's a nice broom you've got there. Now, I'm gonna release the Snitch. You have to give it a head start, so don't go until I say so. All you have to do is catch it as fast as you can." Guendolen nodded and mounted her broom as Derek opened a heavy wooden case. Inside the Snitch was struggling against its straps. Derek unfastened them and grabbed the Snitch, holding it tightly in his fist. He let it go, and it took off into the air. The rest of the team noticed and landed to watch. Guendolen closed her eyes and took a big breath. _Wish me luck, Dog,_ she thought.

"Go!" Derek shouted. Guendolen's eyes snapped open and she kicked off. The air rushed around her as she rose, higher and higher, until everyone had become little specks of color against the green expanse of grass. She could dimly hear Aileen and Kimberly cheering her on, but she put that into the back of her mind, as well as anything else that didn't have anything to do with Quidditch. She scanned the air above and below her, looking for the tell-tale glint of gold. At first she didn't see anything, but a second scan revealed the Snitch's position. It was below her, hovering near one of the goal posts. Guendolen locked her eyes on it and sped towards it. _I can do this I can do this I can do this,_ she thought, over and over. Suddenly the Snitch shot away, straight up into the air. Guendolen quickly shifted directions and shot after it. Nerves made her palms sweaty, and keeping a good grip on the broom was hard. She was going so fast the wind whistled in her ears. The tiny winged orb hovered just above her. She stretched out her hand, leaning as far forward as she could.

"Almost there..." she muttered to herself, her voice lost on the wind. Guendolen's fingers brushed the Snitch and excitement shot through her, leaving a fluttering feeling in her stomach. She thrust her broom forward and closed her hands on the golden ball. Her broom rolled forward in the air, almost sending her flying to the ground, but thankfully she had a good grip on it and soon got it back in control. Guendolen smiled triumphantly as the Snitch beat its feathery wings against the prison of her hand. She flew to the ground and landed, greeted by the applause and cheers of her friends.

"I think we've found our new Seeker," Derek said with a smile, gently taking the Snitch out of Guendolen's slightly shaking hand.


	7. Talking

**Talking**

"Good job, Wanderer," Dog said proudly after she had finished relating her Quidditch story. Wanderer smiled.

"I've always wanted to be on the Quidditch team," she said. "Mom helped me practice every summer; we found a Quidditch training kit in Diagon Alley." Dog smiled, even though Wanderer couldn't see him. He'd never shown himself to anyone. One of the other girls in the dormitory stirred, and Guendolen froze. The other girl had just turned over, though; she was still fast asleep. Wanderer relaxed. Dog sadly wished they didn't have to be so secretive, but he knew if they weren't Wanderer would be dubbed a freak, and he definitely didn't want that. He was _very_ protective of the girl.

"I wonder when the first game is...?" Wanderer wondered out loud. Suddenly she got a dreamy look on her face. Dog glared at her.

"You aren't thinking about Avery again, are you?" he said. Wanderer snapped out of her reverie.

"How do you know his name?" she asked suspiciously.

"Never mind that. You need to drop him; he's no good!"

"You don't know him!" Wanderer retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter. All boys are the same!" Wanderer laughed quietly.

"But you used to be a boy!"

"Exactly." Wanderer yawned loudly.

"You need to sleep," Dog stated matter-of-factly. Wanderer nodded. When she looked at the clock,she saw it was past midnight. She settled down into her bed, her eyes already beginning to drift shut.

"Goodnight, Dog," she said drowsily.

"Good night, Little Wanderer."


	8. Visit

**Visit **

Talia didn't feel like messing with her car, so she Apparated directly to Albus Dumbledore's home. She appeared in front of his door and knocked on it. It wasn't long before the retired Headmaster opened his door. He was still in extremely good shape for his age; he only retired because he had been at Hogwarts so long.

"Hello, Talia," he said, his face brightening when he saw her.

"Hello, Mr. Dumbledore," Talia said as he ushered her inside.

"Please call me Albus, dear," he said, shutting the door. Talia sat down in a chair, and Dumbledore sat in the one across from her.

"I wanted to ask you..." Talia began. "Do you think I should tell Guendolen about Sirius?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. Despite Sirius's letter, she had only told Dumbledore and Harry about her and Sirius. Guendolen doesn't even know her father's name, and she had never asked for some reason. Dumbledore leaned back and steepled his fingers.

"Why a change in heart, Talia?" he asked. "I thought you weren't going to tell her." Talia shrugged.

"I wasn't going to tell her, but I figured she might like to know who her dad is." Talia smiled to herself, remembering Sirius. Her mind's picture of him was a little fuzzy after thirteen years, but he was there nonetheless. Dumbledore nodded knowingly.

"Do you feel it is right to tell her?" he asked.

"That's why I came to you; I'm not sure. Do you think it would bother her that I haven't told her? Would she hate me or something?"

"What your heart says to do is what you should do."

"But I still don't know what to do. My heart isn't exactly choosing." Dumbledore didn't say anything else, just nodded. Talia sighed.

"I really must be going, Albus. Thanks for listening."

"Yes, I'm glad we had this talk." Talia Disapparated and materialized inside her home. She was frustrated at the mysterious old man;he had given her no answers whatsoever. Talia sighed again and began to get ready for work.


	9. The Shop

**The Shop**

Guendolen, Aileen, and Kimberly walked down the cold stone steps into the dungeons.

"Do we have to go to Potions?" Kimberly muttered.

"Potions isn't that bad," Aileen piped up in her usual cheerful manner.

"I agree with Kimberly," Guendolen said. Aileen shrugged.

"Whatever, but I still like it." Just then they reached the Potions door. They opened it and went in, taking their seats near the back. The professor walked in right after them.

"Good morning, class," she said in her raspy voice. Professor Willaver took her place by the cauldron in the front of the room. She was a short woman, with tightly curled brownish grayish hair. She wore tiny little glasses that barely covered even the bottom half of her eyes. Guendolen figured she just wore them to look more intelligent. Willaver actually was an intelligent woman, but she was strict and angered easily.

"Today we will make a sleeping draught," she continued. Everyone groaned; they did this _every year._ The girls sat through the familiar lesson, mixing the potion almost by memory. Finally they got out, and walked out of the dank dungeons as fast as they could. When they were on their way to Transfiguration, their friend Trey ran up.

"Hey guys!" he said excitedly. "You gotta come check this out!"

"Sorry, but we have Transfiguration," Guendolen said.

"Aw, come on!" Trey exclaimed. "It's really cool! It won't kill ya to skip class this once."

"Yeah, come on!" Aileen said excitedly. Kimberly shrugged.

"Works for me." Guendolen stood there silently. Everyone looked at her expectantly.

"I dunno..."

"Guendoleeeeen!" Aileen moaned. She made her best puppy dog face she could. Guendolen sighed.

"Fine." Aileen smiled. The girls followed Trey up a few flights of stairs to the sixth floor. The walked down the hall, then stopped in front of the abandoned girls room.

"Oh no," Guendolen groaned. If anyone heard her, they ignored her. Trey pushed open the door and they went inside.

Guendolen's mouth fell open when she saw the old dirty bathroom. She had been in there once in her first year, as a dare, but now it was totally transformed. The whole place had been cleaned, and all the cubicles and toilets had been cleared out. They had all been replaced by tables along the walls, all covered in emerald green fabric. On top of the tables were all kinds of things; potions, trading cards, books, candy...these were only a few of the thing that Guendolen saw.

"Welcome to my shop!" a voice said. Avery stepped out from behind the sinks, his arms open wide in greeting. He smiled at everyone, but froze and dropped his arms when he saw Guendolen.

"Yup, we created this whooole thing," Trey said proudly, apparently not noticing Avery's strange reaction. "Look around...if you see anything you like, give us a call and we'll tell you the price! Or you can trade for something. We accept pretty much anything." Guendolen looked at the tables again and knew this was true. She turned around and pretended to be interested in an ugly old ring so that no one (especially Avery) would notice the strange smile on her face. She walked along the tables, looking at all the items. Suddenly she collided into something. She looked up and saw Avery.

"Sorry," Guendolen half-whispered with a small smile and red cheeks. Avery had a horrified look on his face. Guendolen gave him a strange look.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"I...uh...gotta go do something!" he said quickly, then dashed out the door. Guendolen stared after him, wondering what had gotten into him.

Up near the ceiling, Dog was chuckling quietly.


End file.
